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It's simple and fun. Sign the linky list, found on the Weekend Writing Warriors website. Then on Sunday, post 8-10 sentences from a
current writing project, published or unpublished. Visit other participants and
offer opinions, critiques, support. Writers hanging out with writers, a good
time with a great group of people.

This week, I'm posting from my current WIP (Work in Progress) CAROLINE. This is a Jane Austen Fan Fiction (JAFF) piece and is a continuation of Jane Austen's, Pride & Prejudice. It started with my muse asking me, 'whatever happened to Caroline Bingley after her brother and unrequited love interest married the Bennet sisters?' - and the story grew from there.

Without further ado - here is my excerpt.

He was inexplicably drawn to
the shape of her lips. He wanted to lose himself in their silken texture and
know beyond a shadow of a doubt that her attention was solely on him. Without
thought he brushed his lips against hers, drawing her full bottom lip between
his teeth, savouring the flavor of mint candy on her breath.

Her soft mewl of surprise
didn’t stop him. His mouth slanted over hers, urging her lips apart.
Hesitantly, she complied and he deepened the kiss, revelling in the tremor that
quaked through her body. The fact that they were in the stables of
his benefactor never once crossed his mind. Not until the whinny of a nearby
horse pierced the haze of desire that clouded his reasoning. Caroline must have
heard it too because she broke away from their kiss, covering those well-kissed
lips with her fingertips.

Welcome to my Weekend Writing Warrior post. I'm continuing with the story of Caroline.

Mr. Darcy is dining with the Bingley's & Hurst's. He has announced it is tradition for his family to host a ball prior to the wedding. Darcy's family is noble and proud, spattered with various Earl's and Viscounts and Caroline well remembers the manners, or lack thereof, of the Bennet family.

“We host a ball
Thursday prior to the wedding. As both Charles and I, along with our brides
shall depart directly from the wedding breakfast, this is a chance for everyone
to meet and become better acquainted in a less formal setting.”

“Are you quite sure you’re
ready for your esteemed family to become better acquainted with your new
in-laws, Darcy?” Caroline should have listened to the small voice of reason
that urged her to temper her words, but still smarting over the set-down by
Charles earlier in the day, she spoke without thought.

Darcy set down his eating
utensils , leaned forward in the chair and speared her with a haughty look of contempt, his lips thinning in anger.

“Those who cannot accept
this marriage are not welcome at Pemberley, Miss
Bingley. Our wedding breakfast would not be a sad affair if there were one or
two fewer settings at the table.”

She gripped her fork
tight as she fought to control her emotions. However enraged she was at
these two fools, she couldn’t allow herself to act upon her volatile feelings. She willed
herself to smile and be congenial and took a bite of her salmon, which felt and
tasted like sawdust in her mouth.

Poor Caroline. When will she learn to dissemble her remarks in front of Mr. Darcy...?

Welcome to my Weekend Writing Warrior post. I'm continuing with the story of Caroline. This scene precedes my previous post, but that's okay.

Caroline has just discovered that her brother Charles is to be married to Miss Jane Bennet. As ghastly as the she finds this, what infuriates Caroline more is the fact that Mr. Darcy will be wed the same day to none other than Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Five years of planning ruined in one fell swoop.

She pivoted away from the window and sat on a settee near the fireplace. Her foot bumped something beneath the small couch and she pulled out the pillow she'd been stitching. Tension snaked through her body at the sight of her attempt to capture Pemberley and she nearly tossed the unfinished reminder of her failure into the fireplace. Instead, all of her anger, her frustration, her tattered hopes and dreams coalesced into a fit of fury and she tore the pillow to shreds. Minutes later, her fingernails broken and fingertips bruised she threw the mangled mess to the floor. Great gasps racked her chest as she fell to the floor and sobbed.

"Caroline!"

She raised her head at the sound of Charles' voice. He rushed to her side and helped her onto the settee. With an impatient huff she swatted his hands from her arms and turned her back to him.

Nothing like a good temper tantrum to get the blood flowing, right?Be sure to check out my fellow Weekend Writing Warriors, and don't forget to sign up for my newsletter (near top right column).

Welcome to my Weekend Writing Warrior post. I've been absent from the list for a while - I blame life in general interfering with fun stuff, like writing. I'm sure you can all relate.

This is from a new work that I've been posting/working on at a Jane Austen Fan Fiction (JAFF) site. I'm having loads of fun with it and hope I can convey what's going on in just 8-10 lines.

If you are a fan of Pride & Prejudice, you know that Caroline is the villainess we all love to hate, but I've often wondered what happened to this arrogant miss AFTER her brother and unrequited love interest both married Bennet sisters. As you know, when writers begin to ask the 'what if' question, characters begin to speak to them. They can become downright annoying, intrusive and totally self-absorbed - much like Miss Caroline Bingley. However, every villain believes they are right and she is no different. However, I feel that she is totally redeemable, with the right man to help her along....

I hope you enjoy my excerpt from 'Caroline'.

"Miss Bingley, have you ever looked at Mr. Darcy as a man?" Nathan queried.

"What kind of question is that?" She drew back in disgust and made a motion as though she were going to walk away. He touched her forearm with a light touch, forestalling her retreat.

"What I mean is... do you view him as a means for a comfortable life, given his vast estate and fortune or do you view him as a man, with wants, fears and desires?"

"What a preposterous notion, of course I think of him as a man--"

"What's his favorite color?"

"Favorite color?" She blustered and once again attempted to step around the annoying man who saw too deep into her soul.

Never tell a bold faced lie - unless you can follow through with flawless precision...

Kristen Wainwright has been dumped in the most humiliating way possible - only at the most posh restaurant in all Ravenwood, La Crème, and to add insult to injury, her ex has taken up with the office mean queen, Janine Fehr.

Unable to tolerate the snide comments and subtle insults, Kristen, in a moment of weakness tells Janine that 'yes, she's coming to the annual Christmas gala', and 'yes, she's bringing a special someone - her new fiancé'. Now all she has to do is find one.

I sat, curled up on the couch in my Team
USA sweatpants, the phone tucked between my ear and shoulder. On the other end
was Stephanie, my best friend since middle school.

“She said she couldn’t help herself.”
Stephanie relayed our conversation to Bryce, her husband. I heard him in the
background, commenting how it would bite me in the derriere. She spoke into the
phone again. “Bryce said—”

“I heard what he said. What am I going to
do? I’ve got three weeks to find a fiancé.”

Stanley rolled over onto his back,
inviting me to scratch his chest. I quit worrying my thumbnail and petted him.
Soft purring vibrated against my thigh. Too bad Stanley wasn’t a guy. He’d be
the perfect date. He adored me, hung on my every word and didn’t expect me to
have sex with him.

The idea hit me faster than I could blink
and I sat up straight. Stanley scrambled off the couch at my sudden movement.

“I have a fabulous idea.”

“Oh, I don’t like this. Last time you had
a fabulous idea, I wore a cast for six weeks. I still can’t straighten my arm
completely.”

“That was years ago,” I said, brushing
aside her concern. “This one will work. Do you have any exceptionally handsome
men friends, willing to be my fiancé?”

“Now I know you’re crazy.”

“Hear me out. They’d only have to pretend
for a couple of weeks. Show up to a few office functions, maybe a movie or two
and then we’ll have a mutual parting of ways.”

As I said the words I became more and more
convinced this would work. This idea was freaking brilliant.

Today is #1LineWed on Twitter. RWA's Kiss of Death chapter posts a theme on their twitter feed (@RWAKissofDeath) and then you post a line from your current work in progress based on the theme. Here are the rules:

All writers from ALL genres are welcome to share their writing by posting lines from a Work In Progress.

I met Miss Julie Joyce at the Lori Foster Reader Author Get Together in 2012. #RAGT12
She wasn't published - yet - and came as an avid reader and fan of our mutual friend, Margaret Ethridge. In her 'posse' was her beautiful mother, who passed this year and another lady from my neck of the woods. In honor of her mom and of that momentous year, I grabbed a screen shot of Julie and her extremely fun-loving mom taken at RAGT12.

Take it away, Julie.

Hi, everyone!

I’m so excited to be here today on my pal
Sue’s blog! This has been a rocky year for me, with lots of highs and lows, but
one of the highest highs was finishing the novella I’ve been working on since
last year. It’s especially satisfying because it’s also the first book I’ll be
publishing under my actual name, Julie Evelyn Joyce. This weekend I’ll be
subbing my baby to all the pretty publishers of the world and crossing all my
digits that someone will say YES. :)

In the meantime, I’m gonna share the blurb
and a little snippet from my story, Steeped in Love. Ready? Okay!

Le
blurb: Addie Mitchell is a pie-on-the-fly
entrepreneur who’s finally ready to settle down in the big, empty house her
late great-aunt Edna left to her. Frustrated with her lack of success in
romance, Addie turns to another gift her great-aunt
passed on to her, the art of reading tea leaves, to aid her in her search for
the ideal mate.

Novelist Ethan
Holtz is having a hard time sinking his teeth into his next project, but he
finds Addie fascinating. Mainly for her
ability to make her dates disappear in fifteen minutes flat. He can’t help but eavesdrop on her dates in the local coffee shop, his writing
haven, and soon finds himself taking pointers on what not to do from her failed
suitors.

Though her methods seem nothing short of
mad, he falls fast and hard for the pixie-haired pie-pusher. She thinks they’re
all wrong for each other, but Ethan teams up with the tea leaves to prove
they’re so right.

And
here’s an excerpt from Steeped in Love:

Ethan flagged down
Gwen and ordered the damn danish. She topped up his mug as she dropped off the
pastry. When he lifted his head to acknowledge the gesture, an entirely
different woman caught his eye. Adelaide Mitchell, owner and operator of the
one and only Pie-Cycle. He couldn’t help but stare as she entered the cafe, a
pixie-haired woman with wide brown eyes, pink lips, and short-shorts that made
him wish for the first time in his life that he were a bike seat.

He rarely got to
see Addie up close. She was always in such a hurry, selling her freshly-baked
hand pies at all the hubs in this town and the neighboring ones. The fillings
could be sweet or savory. He wondered if it depended on her mood. Not that he’d
know if they were any good. He’d never tried one, being that he was partial to
danishes, but a girl like Addie, well…she might tempt a guy to give pie a try.

Addie ordered,
then took a seat a couple tables over, her back to him. She pulled a tube of
lipstick from her pocket and used an old bicycle side mirror from her bag to
apply it, which he found more comical than peculiar. Her short hairstyle
emphasized the long, slim column of her neck. She was jumpy, anxious. Her
aquamarine bike shoes slapped against the floor, like it pained her to sit
still for too long. He found himself growing impatient along with her.

Gwen returned to
Addie’s table with a steaming mug. “Here’s your tea,” she said. “Good luck.
Hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Well, that was an
odd thing to say. What was she looking for? The missing word in a crossword
puzzle? The meaning of life? The perfect ratio of honey to lemon in her tea—

“How’s the writing
going, Ethan?”

He jumped,
startled to find Gwen hovering over him with a knowing smile on her face. When
the hell did she get there? “Fine,” he muttered.

Her soft hum
proved she’d seen the blank page he failed to minimize fast enough. “Hope your
hands don’t cramp up,” she teased, then scurried back behind the counter to
cash someone out.

Ethan missed those
days—when his fingers could barely keep pace with the words flowing from his
brain. It was hell to find inspiration when you knew what you were writing
would tank before it even hit the shelves. Releasing a heavy sigh, he rubbed
his temples. He could be bitter and cynical all he wanted, but the fact of the
matter was that he needed to rebrand himself if he had a hope in Hades of
selling anything. He’d still be a thriller author, but his stories were about
to take on an entirely different spin. Every successful book nowadays had
‘girl’ in the title: Gone Girl, The Good Girl, The Girl on the Train...The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

He glanced up,
suddenly curious beyond all reason if Addie had any tattoos. She didn’t. At
least not from his angle. But even more intriguing, she wasn’t sitting alone
anymore.

There was a man
sitting at her table. That’s what Gwen meant. This was a date. A date with a
man she was obviously meeting for the first time. Addie Mitchell was looking
for a man.

Hope you enjoyed that little teaser! I’m still
working on my new blog, but you can follow me on Twitter to keep up with the
latest and greatest in the life of Julie! https://twitter.com/JulieDoner

In this scene, Sheriff Rafe Crawford has staked out the Tipsy Seagull. His interest is fully engaged when Gretchen Swanson exits the pub and behaves in a manner that makes him think she's had WAY too much to drink. When she stumbles against her car and drops the keys he almost hops out of his truck to lend a hand - until he notices her taking a quick glance around. Almost as though she expects someone to be watching.
After the parking lot is empty (all other patrons have exited) she finally starts her car and begins to back out. He pulls in behind, blocking her exit and approaches the driver's side window. They engage in conversation and he realizes she hasn't had anything to drink. There is not even a hint of alcohol on her breath. So, he asks her what the act was all about.

This selection has been modified slightly to meet the 10 line requirement. Enjoy.

I'm so happy my friend Maddie James has come to visit today. Maddie gave me my first 'push' into the publishing world and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Welcome Maddie, and take it away.

Some stories fly from
brain to fingers to computer screen. Others take their good ol’ time in coming.
This book falls into the latter category.

The storyline for Wind Ridge came to me while living in
central Kentucky horse country, back in the 1990s. Nearby, was a small country
farm named Wind Ridge. There was another horse farm, complete with Federal
style mansion, down the road in the opposite direction. Supposedly, the new
owner was a foxhunter, and stories were, that he ran his horses and hounds over
neighboring fields and land, much to the irritation of the locals.

The juxtaposition of
those two things—the small country tobacco farm, and the more stately southern
horse farm—wove their way into my head and a story took wings. Over 100,000
words later, the story was finished, but sad to say, it lay fallow in my
computer for many years. Other stories had their day, blessed by the publishing
world, but Wind Ridge stayed hidden
from public consumption.

I always loved the
story; however, it was written at a time when I was still learning how to
write. I knew it needed a lot of tender, loving care. About six months ago, I
realized I needed to tackle the story
again, embrace it, rip it up, even let my editor have her way with it. So, I
did. We did. Now, I am so very
pleased that Bekah and Collin’s story is finally ready to share with my
readers.

Here’s more about the
story:

Rebekah McCauley is
back home after ten long years of living and working in New York City. She left
the Big Apple under circumstances she’d rather not share with her family—not
yet, anyway—and all she really wants is time to heal and recover from the mess
she’d made of her life. Luckily, her grandparents’ Kentucky bluegrass farm, Wind Ridge, provides the safe haven she
craves, and the solitude she needs to heal.

Collin Kramer, the fox
hunter next door, seems determined to infiltrate that peace and quiet, and
invade her safe haven—not only with his noisy hounds running amok over her
land, but with his Alpha male, take-charge attitude running roughshod over her
wounded heart.

But as Bekah softens to
Collin’s conquest, he realizes his own toughened heart needs mending. And just
when he thinks he has that conquered, as well, all hell breaks loose. Poisoned
horses, a gutted dog, and a barn fire are only the beginning. When Bekah’s
farmhouse burns to the ground too, they know someone means business. But who?
And whose past, Bekah’s or Collin’s, has come back to haunt them?

Maddie James
writes romance – don’t try to
pin her down to one genre. From edgy suspense to flirty contemporary romance to
darker erotic titles, she just wants to silence the people in her head. Find
out more at www.maddiejames.com.

I think I've adored Julie since we first met. How could I not? We bonded over winky napkins at a reader/author convention in Cincinnati. She, on the other hand, is leery of me because apparently I am the only person who liked the 'Book That Shall Not Be Named'. What can I say? The book trailer was to die for.

I've followed her career with interest. Cheered her successes. Begged her to come visit me on my blog and she finally gave in... I mean, she graciously accepted.

I give to you, Julie Anne Lindsey.

If
You Don’t Like Romance in Your Mysteries, My Books Aren’t for You.

There. I said it. I can’t help myself. I think romance
has a place in cozy mystery. Most cozies have a romantic thread somewhere, but
it’s often understated and nearly invisible. Some reviewers, I’ve noticed,
don’t like romance soiling their mysteries. So, I should probably give everyone
a heads-up. I like romance in cozies. Mostly, I like real, and romance is real.
Why not add it generously to cozies? I mean, romance is something every reader
can relate to. It’s one of the amazing and torturous perils of being single. If
writers are hoping to find common ground with readers while writing about what
they know, adding romance seems like a great way to reach two goals. Right?
Plus, if I’m being honest, I love it. I love reading those toe curling will she / won’t she scenes and I adore
writing them. So, I do.

Don’t worry, I don’t write sexy things (if you’re
opposed to those sorts of books). No. My stories are definitely rated G, and
they’re mysteries first, but there’s always chemistry. I write new friendships into
each series and make sure readers feel the potential for more. I hope readers
long to see where those friendships will lead as much as my heroines do. Maybe
it’s me, but I think that’s how life works. I mean, we’re only human.

Here’s another argument for including romance in
cozies: Incredible heroines. A smart loveable heroine is the heart of every
cozy mystery. You know what else? She’s always SINGLE. Please tell me where in
the world a smart, loveable, single woman goes unnoticed for long? Nowhere. As
long as there are men on Earth, there will be romantic interests, pitfalls and
obstacle courses. It’s fact. Romance is one of the most frustrating and
wonderful things about human nature. How could I leave that out?

Answer: I can’t. I won’t. I don’t.

My new series, Geek Girl Mysteries, are no
different. My stories revolve around a fantastic young woman, Mia, and feature
all the sticky situations every single woman faces, from unreturned feelings to
new crushes and the overwhelming need to scream on occasion. Mia handles the
emotional trials with heartwarming, and hopefully humorous, doses of awkward,
and she does it while solving a murder.

If you’re in the mood to get your geek on, I hope
you’ll check out A Geek Girl’s Guide to Murder. Either way, I’d love to hear
about one of your most geeky moments. We all have a few. Who wants to share?
Anyone?

A
Geek Girl’s Guide to Murder, The Geek Girl Mysteries, book 1

IT manager Mia Connors is up to her
tortoiseshell glasses in technical drama when a glitch in the Horseshoe Falls
email system disrupts security and sends errant messages to residents of the
gated community. The snafu's timing couldn't be worse—Renaissance Faire season
is in full swing and Mia's family's business relies on her presence.

Mia doesn't have time to hunt down a
computer hacker. Her best friend has disappeared, and she finds another of her
friends murdered—in her office. When the hunky new head of Horseshoe Falls security
identifies Mia as the prime suspect, her anxiety level registers on the Richter
scale.

Eager to clear her name, Mia moves
into action to locate her missing buddy and find out who killed their friend.
But her quick tongue gets her into trouble with more than the new head of
security. When Mia begins receiving threats, the killer makes it clear that
he's closer than she'd ever imagined.

Julie Anne Lindsey is a multi-genre author who
writes the stories that keep her up at night. She’s a self-proclaimed nerd with
a penchant for words and proclivity for fun. Julie lives in rural Ohio with her
husband and three small children. Today, she hopes to make someone smile. One
day she plans to change the world.

It's been so long since I've done a snippet, I almost forgot how.
Today I'm sharing from Gretchen's Song, Book Two ~ Welcome to Ravenwood.

She fell in love with
Rafe Crawford at the age of thirteen.

Blocked from entering the school by a group
of boys who demanded a kiss as payment to enter, she’d clutched her books and
stood there mute. When Joey Campbell grabbed her arm, she squeezed
her eyes shut, opening them to the sound of shouts and skin meeting skin.

The first thing she saw
was Rafe standing over Joey, his knuckles reddening. She didn’t know if the color
was from a punch, or from the copious amounts of blood spurting from Joey’s
nose. Already topping out over six feet, the eighteen year old looked like an
avenging angel as he glowered down at Joey.

“Stay away from
Gretchen,” he snarled. “Touch her again, and I won’t stop at your face.”

From that moment on,
her tender heart was his – and he never knew. The very next week, following his graduation, he joined
the army with her eldest brother, Morgan and was shipped off to Afghanistan.

I've known Maggie Wells, or rather Margaret Ethridge since 2009 when I was learning the art of writing. I'm still learning. Margaret and I were members of an on-line critique group and we just kinda 'clicked'. She's such a talented writer and I lurv her. Through her I was introduced to Turquoise Morning Press where I sold my first book.

Harley Cade is back in town—and the former bad boy is downright
irresistible now that he’s donned a hard hat and set to work restoring the
South's finest homes to their former grandeur. While wealth may have gained
Harley entry into high society, it’s going to take a lot more than a fat bank
account to win the lovely Laney Tarrington.

Laney isn't open to giving the self-made magnate a second chance—no
matter how much she needs him. With her family fortune gone, Laney finally has
to stand on her own two feet. The last person she’d ever lean on is Harley, the
man who left her behind with nothing more than memories of the passion they
once shared….

With the attraction still burning hot between them, Harley isn’t above
seduction—or secretly buying Laney’s bankrupted family’s estate. After all, he
no longer has to prove himself to anyone, least of all the daughter of Mobile,
Alabama’s most prestigious family. But will pride keep Harley from gaining the
biggest prize of all—a place in Laney’s heart?

My husband is slowly going crazy. I retired last June for various reasons. Health issues and care for our grandchildren getting top billing. That said, he's extremely jealous that I am now retired and he has to still work for another five years. (Maybe two and a half if our mortgage is paid off - which is our goal)

He makes loads of comments about how I'm 'not working', so I decided to follow myself today. Give you a bird's eye view of how I fill my time now that I'm not working 9-5

0800 - wake up with a nice leisurely stretch. Still can't believe I can sleep past 0630

0830 - head downstairs and make coffee. Feed the cats (3 - don't ask) their soft kitty food and make sure they get their treats. Head downstairs to clean kitty litter, vacuum up the debris around their litter boxes, and fill the empty bowls with new hard cat food.

0850 - empty the dishwasher. Do some light housework (dusting, straightening, water plants)

Happy Valentine's Day

Do you have any plans? Romantic dinner? Movie night? Long soak in the tub with loads of bubbles and a good book?

Top Gun and I are watching horrible movies on TV. We're clicking on movies we've never seen before, or heard about and they are absolutely horrendous. We should have stuck with the tried and true. The ones we've seen a gazillion times, but still love.

Is there a movie you watch again and again without tiring of it? Care to share?

Mine is Pride and Prejudice - all versions (except the one with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier) *shudder* Sad thing is - Top Gun won't watch this with me. I have to wait until he's away, (which is about four nights a week), before I can camp on the couch with my Doritos and watch Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth spar verbally.